16-year-old sex trafficking victim rescued, two men arrested

Portland Police and the FBI have reunited a 16-year-old sex trafficking victim with her family, and arrested two men for prostitution.

The investigation started several weeks ago, when officers found the victim inside a house in the 8500 block of SE Steele Street. Thursday, she was removed from the home and reunited with her family. Three other people were found at the house and they refused to come out for some time.

Eventually, 22-year-old Tre Quane Jenkins and 20-year-old Antonio Jaray Moore were arrested for compelling prostitution. The third person was released. Police found a firearm inside the house.

Jenkins and Moore appeared in court Friday, where a judge ordered them to remain behind bars without bail.

An advocate for sex trafficking victims told KATU news minors are the most commonly trafficked.

"She's an American middle school student when she starts, and the man didn't come from another country -- he's buying kids in America," said Linda Smith, the founder of Shared Hope International.

Smith said all children and teens are at risk of sex trafficking. She said minors can be lured into sex trafficking anywhere from a coffee shop to online.

Parents, she said, should remain vigilant.

"If a child is secretive. If she has a tattoo all of a sudden that is a bar-code or something, it's usually a sign of a trafficker," Smith said.

If you have any information, call Portland Police.

From Portland Police:

Sex trafficking and prostitution are not victimless crimes. Victims of sex trafficking and prostitution are forced, coerced, and manipulated into this lifestyle against their will. They are forced to suffer through physical, sexual, and mental abuse. The Portland Police Bureau, in conjunction with other Federal and local law enforcement agencies, is committed to deterring prostitution and sex trafficking activities.

The Bureau also works with community organizations like Lifeworks NW to help sex trafficking victims: https://www.bja.gov/programs/supporting-victims-of-sex-trafficking-in-Portland.html

If you know or think that someone may be involved in trafficking or is being exploited, please contact the Portland Police Bureau's Sex Trafficking Unit at 503-255-0118, the Sexual Assault Resource Center hotline 1-800-640-5311; or the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, 1-800-843-5678 or via the Cyber Tipline: http://www.missingkids.org/CyberTiipline

Crime Stoppers of Oregon offers cash rewards for information, reported to Crime Stoppers, that leads to an arrest in any unsolved felony crime and tipsters can remain anonymous.

Information about any unsolved homicide is eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,500. Information about any other unsolved felony crime is eligible for a cash reward of up to $1,000.

Information learned from social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter or YouTube should be shared as these tips may lead to the identification of a suspect or suspects. Links can be shared anonymously through Crime Stoppers.

Submit an anonymous tip:

Text CRIMES (274637) - Type 823HELP, followed by the tip.

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